


I've Come To Burn Your Kingdom Down

by Morkisey



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Character Death, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-02
Updated: 2014-05-31
Packaged: 2018-01-27 17:58:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1718495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morkisey/pseuds/Morkisey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jareth's fascination with the human world and with Sarah Williams keeps him going back again and again under his musician alter ego. Sarah has grown into a fine young woman with a career, a husband and child. Taking her family captive, Jareth forces her to go through the Labyrinth once again... But Sarah is no young girl anymore, and her love of her family is stronger than any dark magic that may come against her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I've Come To Burn Your Kingdom Down

_"I can't live within you..."_

His kingdom called to him from the cracks in the walls, from the darkness of the shadows, from the reflection in the mirror. They called to him to come back to their world, for they were lost without a ruler. But Jareth wasn't finished with the human world, not just yet. For years he watched as a looming owl, seeing his love grow from a mere ungrateful girl into a fine young woman. He'd seen her at his gig on Friday night, just for a brief moment. She didn't recognize him without his wild hair and glamorous attire, without the makeup on his face and the gloss on his lips. He was not the glittering fae figure from a dark fairy tale in this world, simply a singer in a dive bar performing for weary drunks and fascinated hipsters.

Staring out into the small crowd, singing his song with passion and fervor, he wondered just for a moment if there were something he could do to bring Sarah back to him. Before he knew it, the song was over, there was a whistle and faint applause. 

"That was Screaming Lord Byron, everyone! Give him a hand!" announced a jovial man who pranced onto stage, clapping like he could stir up the anything but lively crowd. 

Exiting through the door that led to the back alleyway, he lit up a cigarette, took a drag and sighed to himself. It had taken such a long time for him to build his powers and his kingdom of dreams back after he was rejected by Sarah. Her words had torn the world apart, weakening Jareth and sending the Underground into chaos. He found himself wondering what he'd done wrong, what had led her to say those words that brought him to the brink of death. She never knew her true power, the words she spoke could shatter dreams, and shatter kings.

In a flutter of feathers, Jareth transformed into a magnificent bird, soaring high into the starry night sky. He flew over the twinkling lights of the city until he came to the place where Sarah Williams lived. Although she was no longer Sarah Williams, she had taken on her husband's last name of Henson. It pained Jareth so much to see her with someone else, but he bit his tongue and watched all the while through the window. She never noticed the ethereal, white feathered owl peering through the glass. She'd long forgotten about the Labyrinth, about the magic of dreams.

A young girl in pigtails rushed towards her mother, and Sarah picked her up and twirled her around. There was such joy in her eyes, such joy that Jareth wanted to ruin with fire and brimstone. He would pour down his wrath on Sarah in hellfire, but also in love. The twisted way he thought of her was almost childish. He saw her unrequited love as a challenge, she was something to be won, a trophy. 

At that moment, Jareth decided upon something sinister. With his powers fully restored and his kingdom of the Underground calling to him, he vanished.

-

"Amelia!" Sarah called.

A girl of about age four came prancing from another room and into her mother's arms. She gave the tightest hug her small arms could manage to give, nuzzling against Sarah's shoulder. Sarah smiled warmly at her and picked her up, taking her into the next room and setting her down in a booster seat at the dinner table. A man who was slightly older than Sarah was already sitting there, and already digging into the food that had been prepared.

Sarah shook her head. "You cut that out, Brian," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "You could at least wait for the rest of us to start eating." She was only joking, her lip quivering as she attempted not to laugh.

"Sorry, honey," came the reply. "I'm starving!"

Sarah laughed and sat down at her place. "Alright, alright, let's eat."

The dinner was filled with laughter as the couple exchanged stories about their days, and Amelia found new and creative ways to eat her food yet cover herself in it at the same time. When bedtime came around, everyone was worn out. They'd watched television for a few hours after their meal, enjoying the sitcoms. When it was finally time to lay down to rest, Sarah laid Amelia down in her bed, tucked her in and kissed her goodnight.

"Tell me a story!" Amelia piped up, just when it looked like she was about ready to go to sleep.

"A story?" echoed Sarah. "You really want to hear a story?" She gave Amelia a quick tickle and the child giggled.

"Yes, mama!" replied Amelia.

Sarah wasted no time recounting a story she'd heard told to her by her mother's old boyfriend Jeremy when she was younger. It was called the Snow Queen, a classic tale by Hans Christian Anderson. It was about a girl named Gerda who had to rescue her friend, Kai, from the clutches of the faerie Snow Queen. For some reason, the story stirred up the vaguest and foggiest memories in her mind. There was something about a maze, or no, a kingdom? There was a castle, not made of snow and ice, but it still loomed over the land and spiraled upwards for an eternity. She dismissed these thoughts as fantasy.

As Amelia closed her eyes, Sarah could only gaze lovingly at her daughter. She turned off the bedside lamp and quietly left the room. She went to go watch the more adult television programs in the family room, getting caught up in shows about fantastical worlds. She had always been a lover of fiction. She liked to imagine dragons, fairies and monsters when she was younger. Now that she was grown up, the curiosity still remained but she no longer felt herself wishing to be transported into another world.

The later it grew, the quieter it got in the house. Sarah found herself slowly falling asleep on the couch. One more episode of the show, she thought, and then she would go off to bed.

Then the clock began to chime. She counted them, a habit she found herself usually doing but when she came to the end of her counting there was a look on her face of confusion. Thirteen. There were thirteen chimes.

She looked at the clock and as if there were magic at play, the thirteenth hour had been added. Suddenly there came a scream, and then complete and total silence. Even the television turned off by itself. Sarah stood up in panic, wondering what was going on, where the scream had come from -- it sounded like Amelia. Frightened for her child's life as any good mother would be, she took off up the stairs and rushed into her child's bedroom.

Amelia was not there. 

Sarah lifted the covers, searching frantically for her baby, but the young child was nowhere to be seen. She heard a chuckle coming from the darkness, echoing all around her, bouncing off the walls. 

"Brian!" she screamed. "Help! Help, someone's in the house!"

But there was no reply from her husband. The house was quiet and still, like the calm before the storm. 

"Sarah," a voice echoed. "Sarah..."

That voice. That familiar voice. It had come from her dreams - no - her nightmares. Suddenly the memories came flooding back, memories of the labyrinth and her grand journey to retrieve her brother from the clutches of... The Goblin King. Her eyes narrowed. He stepped out of the shadows, glittering cape flowing behind him, his hair still teased yet a bit shorter. His face still looked the same though it had been years. His odd eyes were alight with some kind of dark fire. 

"Are you ready to brave my labyrinth again?" he asked her, threateningly approaching her with all the grace and poise of a cat.

Sarah swiped at him. "Where is my family?" she demanded. "What have you done with them?"

"Ah ah ah, Sarah, I assure you, they're safe... for now..." Jareth smirked. "If you ever wish to see them again, you have thirteen hours to journey to my castle or you forfeit the game. That or we could... make a deal?"

"A deal?" Sarah said, her posture stiffening. "What do you mean?"

Jareth began to circle her, eyes glowing with magic and he tossed a crystal ball back and forth between his hands. "You become my queen, and I let your family live."

"Live? You'd kill my family just to make me your queen? You're a sick bastard!" She took another swing at him, but he dodged her ferocious lashing out. 

"Sarah, Sarah, these are your choices. Face my labyrinth for the second time, or love me. Easy way or the hard way. That's all there is to it. You don't understand how long I've waited, Sarah, how long I've watched. You destroyed my kingdom and left me powerless, but now I am more powerful than ever and you... You can share in my power, Sarah. Be my queen, and I will be your slave..." 

This time Sarah managed to strike him across the face, leaving him rubbing his cheek. Fury was present on his face. "You've made your choice then, I see," he said in a low, growling voice. "Thirteen hours, Sarah. The labyrinth is no mere child's play this time. You'll have no friends to accompany you. When I'm through with you, you'll be begging to surrender to me."

In an instant they were standing at the gates of the labyrinth. There was something darker about the skies, about the architecture. There was evil hanging in the air. Jareth wanted revenge, yet he wanted to be loved by Sarah. These complex emotions made the sky torrid and black. The Underground was hostile now, not an ounce of good left in anyone, Jareth had made sure of that. 

"Good luck, Sarah," he laughed as he began to fade. "You'll need it."

His words were growled and resounded, bouncing off the walls of the labyrinth and leaving Sarah standing there. Desperate to begin her quest, knowing that the lives of her husband and her daughter were in danger, she took off into the labyrinth. No one was there to greet her. She ran with her hand sliding down the walls as she searched for a passage into the maze.

In his castle, Jareth watched through crystal balls in the highest tower of his castle. Behind him, imprisoned in cages made of metal thorns were Brian and Amelia, both of them sleeping peacefully as though they'd never awakened since they'd gone to bed. He knew that if he wasn't going to get his way, he'd just have to get rid of Sarah's family. Then he could take their place, love and care for her, do anything for her. She just had to see that he loved her, somehow.

No, he would _make_ her see.


End file.
